Kids are sure to have ghoulish fun at the George Eastman House.

What better place for a Halloween ghost walk than the city that spawned the spiritualist movement? It was here in the 1800s that the Fox sisters first reported hearing "rappings" -- sounds made by spirits which they claimed to be able to interpret. "You've heard about seances? This is where it started," explains Cindy Boyer of the Landmark Society, the group staging this weekend's ghost walk, now in its 12th year.

One of the more unusual occupations during that time, was that of the spirit photographer. "A woman would take your photograph," says Boyer "and if you were lucky, a dearly departed family member might appear in the picture."

It's one of the stories you'll hear on the tours this Friday and Saturday night along Arnold Park, a 19th-century street. Guides carrying lanterns will lead groups to the front porches of six designated homes where actors will relive actual events, and in some cases portray real people, from Rochester's past.

You'll meet a funeral director from the late 1800s, a time when the city produced three-fourths of the country's caskets. The company that made the caskets occupied a six-storey office building in downtown Rochester where the first national journal of undertakers was also produced. Back then, caskets were transported to the train station by horse and wagon, which always got the right of way on city streets.

Perhaps the goriest story on the tour is the one told by a former ice cutter who recalls the day he found a body trapped in a block of ice in the Erie Canal. The discovery confirmed the fears of many townsfolk who believed that ice water from the canal was suspect because it could include runoff from the Mt. Hope cemetery.

At some point you'll see a man on a porch with a bandage around one hand (from a snake bite no doubt). That's Peter Gruber, better known as Rattlesnake Pete. Gruber (portrayed here by an actor) ran a combined restaurant/museum in downtown Rochester and was a world-renowned snake expert. He had collaborated with Louis Pasteur and was once invited to appear alongside a man who swallowed snakes at country fairs! Gruber was apparently repulsed by the show, though, for the record, the snakes were pulled back out and survived!

For tickets to the ghost walk, check landmarksociety.org. If sold out, Cindy Boyer has promised to make room for Torontonians who mention this story.

Other notable events in Rochester this weekend: The George Eastman House is staging a Halloween haunted house, a family event on Sunday from 1-4 p.m.; and at Frontier Field, four all-new haunted attractions are guaranteed to make you scream. Check FearatFrontier.com.

If you're planning to take The Cat (fast ferry) to Rochester, note that TTC buses now travel to and from the ferry terminal. The weekend ferry schedule includes departures from Toronto at 3:30 p.m. on Friday and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday.

For more information call 1-877-283-7327.

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GRAND MASQUERADE

The second annual "Grand Masquerade -- A Halloween Celebration" in Montreal, which attracted 75,000 visitors last year, is promising to be one of the biggest and best Halloween events in North America this year.

Included in the lineup of 30 events and activities which begin tomorrow and continue until Sunday are two themed balls: La Nuit du sacrifice on Friday, a celebration of horror and gothic culture, and Le Theatre de l'infini, on Saturday, highlighting science fiction and superheroes.

Karen Olson, an actor in Rochester's annual ghost walk, entertains walkers with a spooky tale.

Or dress up in your favourite costume and join the Procession funebre that departs Saturday at 8 p.m. at the corner of Rue de la Commune and Rue Saint Pierre and winds up at the heart of the festival site in Place Jacques-Cartier. Along the way, greet hundreds of people back from the dead, as well as mutants, demons and cult members who come together in a macabre carnival atmosphere leading up to the Feast of All Souls.

Check the many free activities that take place at Place Jacques Cartier and at Bonsecours Market, in Old Montreal. New this year are various "scary games" every night from 6-11 p.m. For more visit grandemascarade.com/accueil_en.aspx.